Goal and Objective Setting: 40 Useful Performance Feedback Phrases

Goal and Objective Setting is the strategic plan that is set and laid down identifying how goals should be accomplished, by who and by what time.

Goal and Objective Setting: Exceeds Expectations Phrases

• Clearly describes which tasks or activities need to be accomplished and defines clear strategies to produce successful results
• Sets goals that are hard but possible to accomplish in order to produce high levels of performance
• Uses clear measures, such as timelines, cost, quality, quality, etc., at all levels in order to manage performance effectively
• Specifies the expected time frames for accomplishing objectives in order to maximize the benefits of objectives' setting
• Plans and measures each team member's contribution to the set goals when goal attainment requires team effort
• Visibly tracks the progress of each goal in order to maintain or increase team members' motivation and energy towards accomplishing the goals
• Breaks down complex goals into smaller and manageable chunks and delegates the chunks to the team members for easier accomplishment
• Seeks support from the top management in clarifying goals, overcoming goal-related problems, or freeing up resources
• Focuses on the goals that one knows can achieve within a specific time frame and develops ways to achieve them
• Prioritizes goals according to what the company needs most considering the resources and time available and other unexpected changes in the company

Goal and Objective Setting: Meets Expectations Phrases

• Brainstorms the different ways that one can reach the results and draws a specific action plan to achieve them
• Shares high-level objectives with team members in order to ensure that each individual is in alignment with the company's vision and mission
• Uses client satisfaction, quantity, cost, quality, and value added to the company, to evaluate success of a goal
• Develops a unit of measurement for key goal results in order to know when one has accomplished own goals
• Sets challenging yet attainable goals for team members, in order to motivate them, and rewards individuals who have successfully met their goals
• Sets a deadline for each goal in order to enhance focus and feel motivated to accomplish it
• Looks for people who have already accomplished similar goals, learns what they have done, and follows their steps towards accomplishing own goals
• Visualizes own goals as already accomplished in order to improve performance, feel motivated and to actually accomplish them
• Sets realistic goals, believes that one can achieve them, and eliminates negative thoughts that can bring one down
• Sets goals that are tied to the overall growth strategy of the company in order to increase the company's productivity

Goal and Objective Setting: Needs Improvement Phrases

• Sets unattainable goals and therefore gets frustrated when one keeps on missing the deadlines
• Sets different goals for team members with similar responsibilities thus encourages internal rivalries that lead to diminished morale
• Does not reward employees who have successfully attained their goals thus makes them feel demotivated to work on other goals
• Criticizes team members who fail to achieve their goals instead of working closely with them and trying to find out where the problem is
• Blames others when one fails to accomplish own goals rather than learning from the experience and looking for better ways to accomplish the remaining goals
• Describes own goals and objectives in a negative way thus feels demotivated and lacks morale to accomplish them
• Does not track the performance of team goals and therefore fails to identify team members who are lagging behind or those who are working hard
• Shows the unwillingness to seek help when one does not understand the goals or is facing problems with the goals
• Does not break down a complex goal into smaller, manageable goals thus feels overwhelmed with the idea of handling it
• Does not rank goals in the order of their importance to the company thus often misses deadlines for the most crucial goals

Goal and Objective Setting: Self Evaluation Questions

• What is one of the major goals that you have set for yourself recently? How are you planning to achieve it?
• Suppose your goal is to run your own company in the next two years. How will you go about accomplishing this goal?
• How have you kept yourself motivated to accomplish your goals? How have you helped others achieve their goals?
• Describe one of the greatest accomplishment in your career life. What are some of the challenges you faced along the way?
• Describe a time when your team failed to meet its goals due to an underperforming employee. How did you deal with the situation?
• Is there a time when you were working on an important goal, but then you realized that you couldn't achieve it when you were already halfway done? What did you do?
• Describe some of the factors that you consider when setting your goals and objectives. How have these contributed to your success in the goal setting process?
• What do you look for in team members when setting goals for the team? How do you keep track of your team goals?
• What new skills have you learned to improve your ability to set realistic goals? How has this helped you achieve your goals effectively?
• Describe a time when you have failed to meet your goals because you had not set them clearly. What did you do?